Cybersecurity Tips for Remote Workers and Digital Nomads

Working outside of the office is quickly turning from a peculiar lifestyle to a common way of business. Now more than ever, you will see offices and teams that live all across the Pale Blue Dot. But, this also has some downsides, and there are a few cybersecurity tips for remote workers and digital nomads that need to be used to protect this new ”way of life”.

Generally, three ground rules have become the basis of both types of life:

1. Keep your head down.
2. Honor your time and that of your clients.
3. Your name is all you have.

And the last point might sound like something from the Wild West, but it was proper for business all the time. Your name is how you treat people you do business with. You can build your portfolio for decades and tarnish everything with one leak of a client’s data.

There are ways to prevent this with relative ease. With premium mobile VPN providers like Le VPN, you can ensure that you keep a low digital footprint wherever you are. After that, it is only the question if you can keep everything organized even when island hopping in South East Asia.

Difference between Digital Nomads and Remote Workers

On the outside, these two groups can look quite alike. Even remote workers can opt to work from a café near their home and even outside when the weather is good. But, when it comes to cybersecurity risks, they are quite different.

Namely, remote workers usually have either a single client, their employer, or a small handful of people they work with on long-term projects. Similarly, they will usually live in a single home and often with their family.

For hackers and cybercriminals, this makes remote workers a much more stationary target. If singled out, there is a much bigger chance that security here will be broken at some point.

On the upside, remote workers have lower costs and more defensive capabilities. You can set up a top-notch cybersecurity system in your home office, which you will only need to update once a year or so.

Digital nomads are harder to track and virtually impossible to single out even with basic cybersecurity. But, their entire system needs to be mobile and capable of moving at a moment’s notice.

These risks are why both groups need to use tricks to ensure that their professional data, private information, and, finally, their livelihood will be secured.

#1 Keep a Low Profile

Even remote workers, especially digital nomads, will tend to be in a vastly better financial situation than most communities they live in. But, this should never lead to extravagance.

At least externally, it is best to mimic the lifestyle of the community. This will allow you to connect better with your neighbors as well as not become a visible target to both cybercriminals and those of the traditional kind.

Remember, you opted to work from Talat Yai exactly because it is not West Hollywood.

#2 Use External Drives and Cloud Storage

This is fairly simple to follow. The rule of thumb is that all resources by the client are stored on the cloud, and all documents produced by you are stored on external storage. This way, you will always have access to the data you need to work, and you will never be at risk of someone stealing the data you have.

When you are not working with that client, unplug the USB stick, and there is no way someone will be able to access it.

#3 Conceal Your Location

If you know what is a VPN used for, you will be familiar with the multitude of reasons to hide your IP address and thus your location. For remote workers, a home VPN will be a cornerstone for their cybersecurity.

But, when it comes to digital nomads, there is an additional advantage. As many clients dislike the idea of someone working from across the planet, you can opt not to give that information by connecting from a server back home.

#4 Make Scheduled Maintenance

You need to keep your tools sharp. Software maintenance should be done once a week and hardware maintenance once every two months.

This doesn’t only include letting anti-spyware and anti-virus software do their thing. You will also need to look at your folders, put everything in its place and tidy up your digital space to the best of your abilities.

#5 Keep Redundancy Gear and Data

Keep copies. While you don’t need to have an extra laptop, having your entire data stored on an external drive will prevent a cascade failure.

There are four things that you will always need to have in pairs:

1. Videoconference tools
2. Internet connection
3. Power supply
4. Digital credentials

The rest should be relatively easy to find in most places in the world. But, you might also add a bit of cash to this list just to be safe.

Conclusion

Working remotely, regardless if it’s from your home or some faraway location, can be thrilling and a dream come true. But, there are downsides to every choice, and the first step to overcoming them should be acknowledging them.

With a few tips, you can protect your information and your reputation with clients without needing to obsess about the issue. Premium providers like Le VPN will help you with encryptions and apps, but the bulk is just good organization.

And if you do everything well, there is always the reward of even more free time.